Machine for making flexible shafts



Nov. 19, 1963 A. PILCZUK MACHINE FOR MAKING FLEXIBLE SHAFTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9. 1961 INVENTOR .41. .s'ksmva E2 P/lc2 0/4 an m BY ATTORNEY Nov. 19, 1963 A. PILCZUK 3,

MACHINE FOR MAKING FLEXIBLE SHAFTS Filed Oct. 9, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,11%,999 MACHEN E FGR MAKING FLEXKBLE SHAFTS Aiehsander Pilczuh, 9b Kryniezna Stiz, Warsaw 33, Poland Fiied Oct. 9, 1961, er. No. 147,33

2 Claims. (Cl. 57-17) This invention relates to an improved machine for making flexible shafts.

The main disadvantage of known machines for making flexible shafts is that each layer of wire has to be twisted separately on a core; thus, to manufacture a four-layer wire shaft, it is necessary to feed the core four times through the Wire twisting machine.

Moreover, known types of machines for making flexible shafts have employed a great number of bobbins on the end of a shaft; thus, the speed of the machine is limited and, furthermore, there is a danger of the end of the shaft breaking olf. To avoid these disadvantages, it has been proposed to mount the wire carrying bobbins on bolts positioned in proximity to the periphery of a disk mounted on a rotatable shaft. Such machines, however, function relatively slowly because of the great centrifugal forces created by the bobbins.

The machine for making flexible shafts according to the present invention, comprises a hollow, cylindrical rotor supported by a pair of longitudinally bored, rotatable shafts, at least one wire supply spool mounted on one of the shafts within the rotor and substantially coaxial therewith, drive means for drawing a core axially through the rotor and the longitudinal bore of each shaft, said drive means rotating the rotor in a predetermined relationship with the passage of the core therethrough, and pulley means carried by the rotor for guiding wire from the spool to a winding station on one of the shafts, whereby the wire is wound, without any preforming, preforming, around the core substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the core.

The machine of the present invention also includes a second hollow cylindrical rotor supported by a second pair of longitudinally bored rotatable shafts, at least one additoinal wire supply spool mounted on one of the shafts of the second pair within the second rotor and substantially coaxial therewith, transfer means for guiding the core and wire wound thereon at the first mentioned rotor into the second rotor, the drive means being adapted to draw the core through both rotors and to rotate both rotors in predetermined relationship with the passage of the core therethrough, and pulley means on the second rotor for guiding wire from the additional wire supply spool, whereby the wire from the additional wire supply spool is wound, without any preforming, around the core and first layer of wire substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the core and the first layer of wire.

The two shafts in each pair are axially aligned with their outboard portions rotatably mounted within a housing, the inboard end portions of the shafts being spaced from each other. An aperture is formed in each of the cylindrical rotors in alignment with the space between the inboard portions of the shafts, whereby a bobbin may be inserted through the aperture formed in the rotor and mounuted on the selected shaft.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for making flexible shafts wherein a multilayer flexible shaft can be made in one working cycle and with great speed, limited only by the strength of the bearings supporting the rotor of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for making flexible shafts wherein the drive means for driving the rotor of the flexible shaftmaking machine also pulls the flexible shaft core through the rotor and drives a drum for receiving the manufactured flexible shaft thereon.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for making flexible shafts wherein the machine rotor is supported by a pair of axially aligned shafts, the outboard portions of the shaft being rotatably supported in a housing, the inboard portions of the shafts being spaced from each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved flexible shaft-making machine having a hollow cylindrical rotor supported by a pair of spaced axially aligned rotatable shafts, the rotor having an aperture in alignment with the spacing between the shafts, whereby a spool may be inserted through the aperture and mounted on a selected shaft.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the flexible shaft-making machine; and

PEG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, the flexible shaft-making machine of the present invention comprises housing members 1 and 2 having a pair of hollow cylindrical rotors 3 and 4 rotatably supported therein. The upper rotor 3 is carried by a pair of spaced axiaily aligned longitudinally bored shafts 5 and 6, the outboard portion of the shafts being supported in the housings by bearings 15, 16 and 17. The lower rotor 4- is similar in construction to the upper rotor; that is, it is supported in the housings 1 and 2 by a pair of spaced axially aligned longitudinally bored shafts 7 and 8; the outboard portions of the shafts being supported in the housings by suitable bearings 18, 19 and 20.

An opening 43 is formed in the rotor 3, aligned with the spacing between the inboard end portions of the shafts 5 and 6, whereby spools 33 carrying a supply of wire 12. may be inserted therethrough and mounted on the shafts S and 6. A plurality of pulleys 10 mounted on the rotor and pulleys 11 and 36 mounted on the shaft 6 are provided to facilitate the feeding of the wire 12 from the spools 33 to a winding station 13 positioned at the end of the shaft 6, said shaft having a'groove formed in the periphery thereof through which the wire 12 extends to the winding station 13. A bobbin 31 having a wire core 32 wound thereon is rotatably mounted within the housing 1, the wire 32 being pulled from the bobbin and fed through the longitudinal bores formed in the shafts 5 and 6 to the winding station 13 where the wire 12 from the spools 33 is wound, without any preforming, around the core 32, substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the core, thereby forming a flexible shaft 14.

The flexible shaft 14 coming from the winding station 13 passes over a rotary wheel 34 and around a rotary wheel 35, from the wheel 35 the flexibleshaft passes through the longitudinal bores formed in the shafts 7 and 8 to a winding station 29 positioned on the outboard end of shaft 7. The rotor 4, being similar in construction to rotor 3, is provided with an opening aligned with the spacing between the inboard end portions of the shafts '7 and 8, whereby a plurality of spools carrying a supply of wire 3% may be inserted therethrough and mounted on the shafts. A plurality of pulleys 26 are mounted on the rotor 4- and pulleys 27 and 28 are mounted on the shaft 7, said shaft having a groove formed in the periphery thereof through which the wire 30 extends from the pulleys 26, 2'7 and 28 to the winding station 29, where the wire 30 is wound, without any preforrning, around the flexible shaft 14, substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the flexible shaft. From the winding station 29,

the flexible shaft is fed by means of wheels 23 and 24 onto a drum 25 upon which it is wound for storage.

The rotors 3 and 4 are driven by a motor (not shown) having belt means connected to a pulley 21 mounted on the outboard end of shaft 6, and to a pulley 2.2 similarly located on the shaft 8. A gear box 9 is positioned within the housing 12 and operatively connects the shaft 8 to the wheels 23, 24, 3-4- and 35, and the storage drum 25; thus, the drive means not only rotates the rotors 3 and 4 to wind the wire 12 around the core 32 and the wire 30 around the flexible shaft 14, but also it causes the wheels 23, 2 5, 34 and 35 and drum 25 to rotate, to thereby pull the core 32 and flexible shaft 14 through the longitudinal bores in the shafts 5, 6, 7, and 8.

The upper rotor 3 is provided with suitable brake means including brake shoes 37 and a brake drum 39; the lower rotor is also provided with similar brake means it In the operation of the assembly, while the rotors 3 and 4 are braked, the bobbin 31 carrying the wire core 32 is placed within the housing 1. Then the five spools 33 are inserted through the opening 43 and mounted on the shafts 5 and 6 in such a way that three of the spools are positioned on the shaft 5 and the other two are on the shaft 6. The wire 32 is unwound from the bobbin 31., through the longitudinal bores in the shafts 5 and 6, through the winding station 13, around the wheels 34 and 35, the end of the wire being secured to the wheel 35.

The Wires 12 from the spools 33 are unwound from the spools, passing over the pulleys it), 11 and 36, through the winding station 13, around the wheels 34 and 35, the end of the wire being secured to the wheel 35. Thus, when the brake is released and the rotor 3 placed in motion, the wire 12 is wound around the core 32, thereby forming a flexible shaft 14, as described hereinabove, with the flexible shaft 14 being wound upon the wheel 35.

If it is desired to place an additional layer of wire on the flexible shaft 14, the flexible shaft is unwound from the wheel 35 and fed through the longitudinal bores in the shafts 7 and 8, to the winding station 29, where an additional wire 30 is wound thereon, as described hereinabove; the multilayer flexible shaft is then wound upon the drum 25.

Although the rotors 3 and 4 have been disclosed as being mounted in parallel relationship with one above the other, it will be appreciated that the rotors may also be axially aligned, if desired.

Since a great amount of heat is generated in the flexible shaft due to the friction created during the twisting and reeling of the flexible shaft, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that known types of cooling apparatus are employed to cool the flexible shaft as it is received on the wheels 23, 24 and drum 25, to thereby prevent the seas 4 flexible shaft from assuming an elliptical shape in cross section while wound upon the drum.

The flexible shaft making assembly also includes an automatic brake mechanism to stop the rotors and wheels when the supply of wire has been unwound from the spools and bobbin, or if the wires should break off.

Although only one modification of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications of this invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof which is to be measured by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for making flexible shafts comprising housing means, a pair of axially spaced longitudinally bored shafts, a hollow cylindrical rotor mounted on said shafts, said shafts having outer ends extending out of said rotor and being journalled in the housing means, said shafts having inner ends within the rotor extending toward each other and defining an axial space therebetween, each of said inner ends defining mounting means for a plurality of wire supply spools, at least one wire supply spool mounted on one of said inner ends within the rotor and being coaxial therewith, a winding station disposed on the outer end of one of said shafts, a wire core supply bobbin mounted within the housing means adjacent the outer end of the other shaft, a wire core extending from the bobbin through the bores in the shafts to the winding station, drive means operatively connected to the core and to the outer end of said one shaft for drawing the core through the longitudinal bores in the shafts and rotating the rotor in a predetermined relationship with the passage of the core therethrough, and guide means carried by the rotor for guiding the wire from the spool to the winding station, said winding station including wire guiding means directing wire to the core whereby Wire is directly wound around the core substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the core, to thereby form a flexible shaft, said rotor having means defining an aperture aligned with the axial space between the inner ends of said shafts, whereby the wire supply spool may "be inserted therethrough and mounted on one of the inner ends of said shafts.

2. A machine for making flexible shafts according to claim 1, wherein the outer end of said one shaft is provided with longitudinal groove means through which wire from the spool extends to the winding station.

Conner Dec. 9, 1924 Uhler Feb. 18, 1947 

1. A MACHINE FOR MAKING FLEXIBLE SHAFTS COMPRISING HOUSING MEANS, A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY BORED SHAFTS, A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL ROTOR MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTS, SAID SHAFTS HAVING OUTER ENDS EXTENDING OUT OF SAID ROTOR AND BEING JOURNALLED IN THE HOUSING MEANS, SAID SHAFTS HAVING INNER ENDS WITHIN THE ROTOR EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER AND DEFINING AN AXIAL SPACE THEREBETWEEN, EACH OF SAID INNER ENDS DEFINING MOUNTING MEANS FOR A PLURALITY OF WIRE SUPPLY SPOOLS, AT LEAST ONE WIRE SUPPLY SPOOL MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID INNER ENDS WITHIN THE ROTOR AND BEING COAXIAL THEREWITH, A WINDING STATION DISPOSED ON THE OUTER END OF ONE OF SAID SHAFTS, A WIRE CORE SUPPLY BOBBIN MOUNTED WITHIN THE HOUSING MEANS ADJACENT THE OUTER END OF THE OTHER SHAFT, A WIRE CORE EXTENDING FROM THE BOBBIN THROUGH THE BORES IN THE SHAFTS TO THE WINDING STATION, DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE CORE AND TO THE OUTER END OF SAID ONE SHAFT FOR DRAWING THE CORE THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL BORES IN THE SHAFTS AND ROTATING THE ROTOR IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE CORE THERETHROUGH, AND GUIDE MEANS CARRIED BY THE ROTOR FOR GUIDING THE WIRE FROM THE SPOOL TO THE WINDING STATION, SAID WINDING STATION INCLUDING WIRE GUIDING MEANS DIRECTING WIRE TO THE CORE WHEREBY WIRE IS DIRECTLY WOUND AROUND THE CORE SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CORE, TO THEREBY FORM A FLEXIBLE SHAFT, SAID ROTOR HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN APERTURE ALIGNED WITH THE AXIAL SPACE BETWEEN THE INNER ENDS OF SAID SHAFTS, WHEREBY THE WIRE SUPPLY SPOOL MAY BE INSERTED THERETHROUGH AND MOUNTED ON ONE OF THE INNER ENDS OF SAID SHAFTS. 